SUPER BOWL MEDIA NOTES: TEMPERS IN TEMPE

Highlights from 9-year old Sparky Mortimer, covering the
Super Bowl for the "Late Show with David Letterman." Mortimer
asked Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol: "Who are you rooting for?"
Later, after being interviewed by Mortimer, Cowboy Nate Newton
said: "Hey, Sparky, get a new tie." Newton: "He's the media. I
don't discriminate against nobody" (ARIZONA DAILY STAR,
1/26)....The Deion Sanders/Mike Ditka feud continued. Sanders,
who refused to be interviewed by Ditka for NBC's pre-game: "I
don't have time for Mike Ditka. He's gone. It's over for him.
Ditka reminds me of Gary Coleman. His career is over"
(WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/26)....NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was
interviewed during ESPN's coverage of the Phoenix Open (ESPN,
1/26)....The Steelers were fined $25,000 by the league for
failure of all players to show during Wednesday's Media Day (N.Y.
TIMES, 1/26)....NBC will use 29 cameras, including one following
Sanders (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 1/26).